Abstract:
Use of edible insects as an alternative source of proteins in food and feed is increasing. These last years, numerous companies in Europe have started producing insects for food and feed purposes. In the European Union, the use of edible insects for human consumption falls within Regulation (EU) No. 2015/2283 on novel foods. For feed, Commission Regulation (EU) 2017/893 authorizes seven insect species as processed animal proteins for aquaculture. Methods of authentication are required to check the conformity of the products. In this study, we propose a real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR) method for the specific detection of the lesser mealworm (Alphitobius diaperinus), one of the species included in the shortlist of authorized insects. The selected target is the cadherin gene with a single-copy (per haploid genome) illustrated by our experimental evidence. The PCR test amplified a 134-bp fragment of the cadherin gene. The qualitative method was assessed toward several performance criteria. Specificity was checked against 54 insect species next to other animal and plant species. The sensitivity, efficiency, robustness, and transferability of the PCR assay were also successfully tested. Finally, the applicability of the test was assessed on real-life processed samples (industrial meals) of A. diaperinus. The study also showed that there seems to be a huge confusion on the correct labeling of the marketed mealworms. We did not succeed to get Alphitobius laevigatus samples. They all appeared to belong to the A. diaperinus taxon.
摘要:
食用昆虫作为食品和饲料中蛋白质的替代来源正在增加。这些年,欧洲的许多公司已经开始生产用于食品和饲料目的的昆虫。在欧盟,食用昆虫的使用属于(欧盟)第2015/2283关于新食品。对于饲料,欧盟委员会法规(EU)2017/893授权七种昆虫作为水产养殖加工动物蛋白。需要认证方法来检查产品的符合性。在这项研究中,我们提出了一种实时聚合酶链反应(PCR)方法,用于特异性检测小食虫(Alphitobiusdiaperinus),被列入授权昆虫名单的物种之一。所选择的靶标是具有单拷贝(每个单倍体基因组)的钙粘蛋白基因,其由我们的实验证据说明。PCR测试扩增了钙粘蛋白基因的134bp片段。定性方法针对几个性能标准进行了评估。与其他动植物物种相邻的54种昆虫物种进行了特异性检查。敏感性,效率,鲁棒性,并成功测试了PCR测定的可转移性。最后,该测试的适用性是在A.diaperinus的实际加工样品(工业食品)上进行评估的。该研究还表明,对市售粉虫的正确标签似乎存在巨大的混乱。我们没有成功获得Alphitobiuslaevigatus样本。它们似乎都属于A.diaperinus分类单元。